TO  TVilNK  MUSIC 
H  aniet  Ayer  Seymour 


.       .4 


UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFORNm 
AT 

LOS  ANGELES 
LIBRARY 


HOW  TO   THINK 
MUSIC 

By 

Harriet  Ayer  Seymour 


FIFTH   EDITION 
REVISED  AND  AUGMENTED 


'The  culture  we  recommend  is,  above  all.  an  inward  operation." 

— Matthew  Arnold 


G.  SCHIRMER.  INC.,  NEW  YORK 


1267:i?> 


CopjTight,  1910.  by  The  H.  W.  Gray  Co. 


First  published  in 
The  New  Music  Review 


Copyright,  1915,  by 

G.  ScHiRMrR,  Inc. 

25716 


Printed  in  the  U.  S.  A. 


Co  l^r.  iFranfe  Pamrogcf) 

whose  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  music  in 
America  have  been  untiring 


^ 


^A^ 


PREFACE. 

In  music,  as  in  other  things,  we  have  al- 
lowed ourselves  to  do  a  great  deal  of  thought- 
less, and  therefore  useless  work.  The  object 
of  this  book  is  to  arouse  those  zvho  have  only 
played  music  to  think  music  before  playing  it. 
The  thought  must  always  be  prior  to  the  fact. 
The  inward  process  of  listening  and  hearing 
is  7iot  adequately  expressed  by  the  word 
^  think,  but  it  seems  to  be  the  best  term  descrip- 

"^  tive  of  the  process  that  the  English  language 

affords. 

I  do  not  presume  for  a  moment  to  address 
myself  to  the  trained  musician  to  zvhom  this 
side  of  the  question  has  become  second  nature, 
but  rather  to  the  lover  of  music  who  has  played 
the  piano  or  organ  or  any  other  musical  in- 
strument, and  zvho  has  never  really  heard 
inw'ardly  (or  thought)  the  music  he  has 
played.  Since  so  many  persons  of  the  latter 
class  have  enriched  their  lives  already  after 
the  manner  herein  advocated,  the  temptation 
to  -write  this  book  has  proved  irresistible. 

I  am  under  obligations  to  Professor  Wil- 
liam P.  Trent,  of  Columbia  College,  zvhose 
helpful  siiggestio)is  and  criticisms  have  been 
of  the  utmost  value  to  me.  I  zvish  also  to  thank 
my  pupils,  whose  interest  and  enthusiasm  have 
been  unfailing. 

H.  A.  S. 

New  York,  August,  1910. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter     I.     Introductory  -       -       -  7 

Chapter    II.     Melody 11 

Chapter  III.     Rhythm    -       -       -       -  29 

Chapter  IV.     Chords    -      -      -       -      -  38 

Addenda       -- 53 

Teaching  Material    -      -      -      -              -  55 


I)0W  Co  CbinK  music. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

|HIS  little  book,  the  outgrowth  of 
my  own  experience  in  teaching 
music,  is  a  plea  for  two  things : 
First,  that  we  shall  strive  to 
enable  our  students  to  work  from 
principles  ;  and,  secondly,  that  we  shall  present 
the  study  of  music  so  simply  that  the  student 
will  be  definitely  conscious  of  what  he  learns. 
It  is  not  what  the  teacher  intends  to  convey 
that  takes  root  in  the  mind  of  the  pupil,  but 
what  the  pupil  understands.  In  my  judgment 
there  is  really  no  such  thing  as  taking  piano 
lessons.  The  piano  is  simply  the  mstrument  we 
choose  for  the  expression  of  musical  ideas. 
Music  itself  is  in  the  mind,  and  therefore  the 
teaching  of  it  should  be  distinctly  a  mental 
training.  How  many  thousand  students  of 
music  have  given  up  in  despair  because  they 
had  never  been  taught  to  think  music ! 

My  first  realization  of  this  came  to  me  in 
the  following  way :  A  friend  and  I  had  under- 
taken the  teaching  of  kitchen  gardening  in  a 

settlement  school  class.     Neither 
Illustration  of         j-  i     j    i      , 

Bad  Methods     °^  "'  ^^^  ^^^  ^"y  experience, 

and  we  found  the  children  very 
untcachable.      While    we    were     racking:    our 


8 

brains  for  some  means  of  quieting  them,  I 
thought  of  music.  My  friend  was  a  brilliant 
pianist. 

"You  play  some  familiar  song  and  I'll  make 
them  sing,"  I  said. 
•  "I  have  no  notes,"  she  answered. 

"But  play  anything — play  'My  Country,  'Tis 
of  Thee.'  "' 

"I  have  no  notes,"  she  still  retorted. 
Whereupon  I  sat  down  at  the  piano  and  soon 
had  the  children  quiet  and  contented. 

On  the  way  home  I  asked  my  friend  to  ex- 
plain her  conduct,  and  she  confessed  that  she 
was  absolutely  lost  at  the  keyboard  unless  she 
had  notes  or  knew  the  music  from  having 
"memorized"  it.  The  playing  and  harmoniz- 
ing of  a  simple  melody  was  an  impossibility 
to  her  and  yet  she  was  called  "a  very  fine 
musician." 

We  should  be  taught  to  think  music,  and 
there  necessarily  must  be  a  definite  principle 
to  work  from.     For  instance,  mstead  of  mak- 
ing the  pupil  learn   in   a   year, 

Prindi""       perhaps,  to  play  six  "pieces,"  it 
would  be  far  better  to  establish 
in  his  mind  certain  definite  facts  from  which 
he  can  work  always,  such  as : 

First — Hearing  the  tones  inwardly  before 
producing  them. 

Second — ^Finding  the  tones  on  the  keyboard 
in  all  keys. 

Third — Realizing  the  scale  relationship  and 


intervals  so  that  all  keys  are  equally  easy  for 
him. 

Fourth — Learning  the  principle  that  under- 
lies rhythm. 

Fifth — Singing  and  writing  simple  original 
melodies  which  he  has  heard  inwardly  first, 
and  last  of  all  harmonizing  these  melodies. 

In  two  or  three  years  it  ought  to  be  and  is 
possible  for  him  to  play  and  harmonize  any 
simple  melody,  in  any  key ;  to  be  conscious 
of  exactly  what  is  taking  place,  both  in  his 
mind  and  on  the  keyboard,  and  to  play  good 
simple  music,  understanding  its  fundamental 
harmony  and  feeling  its  rhythm.  This  is  not 
a  new  idea,  for  many  teachers  are  applying  it 
already.  The  demand  for  more  vital  teaching 
is  growing  among  parents ;  the  children  them- 
selves prefer  it. 

Grown-up  people  who  have  "studied  music" 

and  then  given  it  up  in  despair  because  they 

never   seemed  to   acquire  any  working  basis 

for  independent  study,  are  tak- 
Some  ...  ■      •      ^1^' 

Qeod  Results      '"^  '^  "P  ^^^^"   '"  ^^'^  ^^5^'   ^° 
novel  to  them. 

Because  of  the  effects  of  the  new  teaching 

it  is  becoming  less  common  for  a  girl  to  give 

up  music    when   she  marries.     She  certainly 

needs  then  all  that  is  beautiful  and  ennobling, 

needs  it  as  much,  if  not  more,  than  ever  before. 

This  "new  education"  in  music  means  music 

in  the  home.     We  do  not,  as  a  people,  want  so 

much    the    brilliant    performer    as    we    want 


10 


mothers  who  can  and  will  play  for  the  chil- 
dren to  dance  and  sing;  who,  if  the  notes  are 
not  at  hand,  understand  the  principles  so  well 
that  they  can  play  without  notes,  and  who  can, 
if  necessary,  transpose  a  little  song  into  the 
key  that  suits  the  childish  voices. 

We  need  more  music  in  the  world,  because 
we  need  more  culture,  more  beauty,  more 
sweetness,  and  music  makes  for  all  of  these. 

It  may  be  a  fanciful  idea,  but  I  believe  that 
music  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  an  harmonious 
development.  True  culture  must  include 
music,  and  since  "men  of  culture  are  the  true 
apostles  of  equality,"  music  is  a  force  or  power 
for  social  good,  and  should  be  taught  with  the 
utmost  clearness  and  simplicity.  Experience 
has  shown  me  that  children,  and  older  per- 
sons as  well,  who  have  been  taught  in  this  way, 
love  music  more  and  more.  The  time  is  al- 
ways too  short,  and  the  hours  at  the  piano 
do  not  by  any  means  constitute  the  whole  of 
music  to  the  student.  It  is  an  ever  present 
element  in  his  life  and  in  the  lives  of  those 
about  him.  To  every  one  should  be  given  the 
chance  to  cultivate  this  inherent  sense  for 
beauty  of  sound,  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  it  a 
permanent  help  towards  a  more  harmonious 
and  joyous  life. 


CHAPTER  II. 


MELODY. 


arms, 


and 


Thought  and 
Action 


piano  lesson  must  include  thought 
as  well  as  action.  Heretofore 
too  much  attention  has  been 
paid  to  more  or  less  mechanical 
movements  of  the  hands  and 
too  little  to  the  heart  of  the 
subject.  When  their  attention 
is  called  to  it,  many  students 
are  astonished  to  find  how  little 
music  they  really  hear,  mentally. 

The  study  of  music,  to  be  of  any  value, 
must  consist,  first  of  all,  of  an  inward  process. 
The  ability  to  think  music  or  to  hear  it  in- 
wardly is  the  root  of  the  problem.  In  other 
words,  the  study  of  music  must  take  place 
primarily  in  the  mind.  The  first  step  should 
be  to  hear,  mentally,  a  very  simple  melody,  not 
to  hear  it  played  on  the  instrument,  but  to  hear 
it  inwardly — not  "with  the  mind's  eye,"  but 
with  the  mind's  ear,  so  to  speak,  and  then  to 
reproduce  outwardly  what  is  heard,  by  singing 
it.  If  the  pupil  can  learn  to  listen,  the  music 
is  there  waiting.  For  instance,  start  by  sing- 
ing such  a  simple  combination  of  tones  as : 

I  or  II 


atzj; 


P«^- 


:;=3: 


:«=S: 


12 

and  ask  the  pupil  to  give  you  one  equally  sim- 
ple.    Let  him — 

I — inwardly  hear  it. 
2 — sing  it. 

3 — find  it  on  the  keyboard. 
4 — write  it  down. 
This  is  fascinating  to  all  students,  although 
there  is  sometimes  trouble  in  making  a  start. 
"It  is  the  first  step  that  costs  the  most."  It  is 
better  to  confine  one's  self  to  the  simplest 
music  for  some  time,  and  to  be  sure  to  hear 
the  melody  very  distinctly  before  you  sing  and 
play  and  write  it.  Once  a  student  has  learned 
to  hear  music  mentally  the  flood-gates  of  mel- 
ody are  open  to  him. 

Words  are  sometimes  used  with  these  first 
melodies.    Mr.  Calvin  B.  Cady,  to  whose  book, 
"Music  Education,"  I  refer  all  those  who  wish 
to  take  up  this  side  of  the  ques- 
Use  of  Words     tion   more   fully,   considers   this 
very  important.     In  my  opinion 
it  is  an  individual  matter.      We  are  studying 
tones,  and  the  sound  alone  is  enough  if  the 
pupil  can  thus  become  conscious  of  melody. 
Children  usually  prefer  to  use  words.     Some- 
times a  phrase,  such  as : 

"Fitter,  patter,  goes  the  rain." 
or  a  quotation  from  a  familiar  verse,  as: 
"The  organ  with  the  organ  man 
Is  singing  in  the  rain." 
proves  helpful. 

Every  lesson  for  a  long  time  should  include 
this  melody  work  until  the  pupil  can  think  a 


13 


melody  easily ;  sing  it,  write  it  and  play  it.    It 

is  always  a  delight  to  discover 

„  .  ^,         that    one    can    unearth    such    a 
Melodies 

wealth  of  tunes  in  one  s  own 
mind.  I  have  watched  this  process  in  all  sorts  of 
persons  and  been  obliged  sometimes  to  train 
so-called  "monotones"  into  recognizing  and 
producing  the  seven  tones  before  getting  to 
tunes.  With  patience  it  can  be  done.  Work 
according  to  Froebel's  principle  that  within 
the  pupil  is  the  consciousness  of  music,  and 
that  the  teacher's  work  is  to  stimulate  the 
awakening  of  that  consciousness. 

There  are,  of  course,  many  ways — just  as 
many  ways  as  there  are  obstacles.  For  in- 
stance,   one    boy    refuses    to    sing — let    him 

whistle.      Another   refuses   even 

No  Set  Rule       ^         u-  -i  i.      a        ».>»     i   ■ 

.    _     . ,         to  whistle — says  he     can  t  — let 
for  Teaching  -^      .      . 

him  start  by  picking  out  fa- 
miliar tunes  on  the  keyboard.  Another 
"hates"'  this  but  loves  the  opera;  let  him  find 
some  melody  or  motif  on  the  keyboard.  The 
best  way  is  first,  listening ;  second,  singing ; 
third,  writing;  fourth,  playing;  but  there  is 
absolutely  no  set  rule  to  be  laid  down  because 
individuals  are  not  sheep,  and  must  be  met  on 
their  own  ground.  Therefore,  the  order  may 
be  changed  sometimes,  provided  the  pupil  has 
heard  the  melody  first.  This  is  imperative. 
It  matters  very  little  whether  in  a  year  a  pupil 
has  heard,  sung  and  written  one  hundred  melo- 
dies or  five,  if  only  he  has  become  conscious 


14 

of  melody  in  his  own  mind  and  can  produce 
what  he  has  heard. 

A  friend  of  mine  sent  me  her  Httle  daugh- 
ter.    The  child,  artistic  to  her  very  finger  tips, 
had  been  "learning  to  play  the  piano"  for  six 
years   and   hated   music.      I    got 
Two  Different     her  to  show  me  her  work.     She 
Ways  had  written  out,  absolutely  me- 

chanically, books  of  notes  which 
had  no  meaning  whatever  to  her  and  which 
were  simply  records  of  dull  and  unprofitable 
hours  unwillingly  given  to  music.  Her  play- 
ing was  perfunctory  because  she  disliked  the 
cheap,  modern  things  she  played.  Altogether, 
she  was  a  good  example  of  the  results  of  a 
perfectly  uninteresting,  external  and  mechan- 
ical mode  of  teaching  "music." 

Finally,  I  asked  her  whether  she  had  ever 
done  anything  in  her  music  work  that  inter- 
ested her.  Smilingly  she  produced  a  sheet  of 
paper  brought  from  school  on  which  was 
written  : 


~S- 


^^m. 


"1  wrote  it  myself,"  she  said,  "I  loved  to  do 
it  and  I  can  sing  it."  This  one  little  piece  of 
really  thoughtful  work  had  stamped  itself  in- 
delibly on  her  mind  and  made  her  happy. 
Teachers  will  find  that  all  children  are 
interested    in    thinkiuLr    music    and    that    the 


15 


interest   grows   where   otherwise   it   is   apt  to 
flag. 

It  is  Emerson,  I  think,  who  says  that  the 
really  great  man  is  he  who  dwells  on  the  af- 
firmative, positive  side  of  things,  and  so  it  is 

with  the  teacher.     The  teacher 
"«"!.  "        must  meet  the  pupil  on  some  con- 

genial  ground.  For  mstance,  if 
the  pupil  always  has  wanted  to  "pick 
things  out"  on  the  piano,  the  teacher  should 
find  out  the  music  he  is  interested  in  and  let 
him  pick  that  out.  If  he  has  difficulty  in  play- 
ing it  he  will  be  willing  soon  to  think  and  sing 
it  first,  because  he  desires  to  play  it.  Thus  he 
will  see  the  use  of  singing.  "Desire  is 
the  soul  of  will."  Actual  work  with  every 
imaginable  kind  of  child,  from  the  "unmu- 
sical," "uninterested,"  "stubborn,"  "nervous" 
kind  to  the  interested  musical  and  willing  one, 
has  proven  the  truth  of  this  statement. 

When  I  first  started  to  teach  some  appar- 
ently hopeless  pupils  were  given  me,  but  their 
interest,    once    aroused,    has    never    wavered. 

One  boy  whose  mother  brought 
How  to  Arouse    ...  ,     .  . 

,  ^      .         him  to  me   as   a  last   resort — a 
Interest 

pitched  battle  with  his  teacher 
having  been  the  final  episode  of  his 
stormy  career  as  a  would-be  "performer"  on 
the  much-abused  and  long-suflFering  piano — 
now  talks  of  composing  an  opera,  and  was 
quite  insistent  about  having  a  lesson  on  Christ- 
mas day  because  that  happened  to  be  his  regu- 


16 

lar  time  for  a  lesson,  and  he  couldn't  bear  to 
miss  it.  The  fact  is  that  when  true  music 
thinking  is  aroused,  it  never  can  be  forgotten 
or  neglected. 

Two  or  three  years  ago  I  was  asked  to  take 
a  desperate  case,  a  little  girl  who  came  of  a 
musical  family,  who  had  had  lessons  all  her 
life,  and  who  had  fought  regularly  with  her 
distracted  teacher. 

"I  am  told,"  said  the  mother,  "that  you  will 
help  Mary  to  love  her  music,  but  I  must  tell 
you  that  she  is  unwilling  and  disobedient,  and 
if  you  can  interest  her  I  shall  be  surprised." 

At  first  it  was  uphill  work,  but  by  studying 
the  child's  tastes  I  managed  to  stir  up  a  spark 
of  interest.  All  singing  and  note  writing  was 
unpleasant  to  her,  so  that  she  simply  played 
some  Schumann  and  Mozart,  for  the  first  six 
months.  Gradually  the  love  of  music  grew. 
Finally  she  asked  me  to  teach  her  harmony, 
and  even  begged  for  extra  hours,  and  this 
year  she  has  laid  a  foundation  that  will  never 
leave  her,  and  on  which  she  is  building  al- 
ready. This  foundation  consisted  first  of  all 
of  thinking,  singing  and  writing  and  playing 
melodies. 

Through  mental  photography  certain  neces- 
sary facts  may  be  impressed  upon  the  mind. 
A  clear  mental  image  consciously  made  is  in- 
valuable in  the  study  of  music.  Take  the  very 
simplest  facts  which  we  are  obliged  to  know 
in  order  to  read  music  easilv :  First  of  all  the 


17 


notes.  Place  the  chart  before  the  pupil.  Let 
him  look  at  it  intently,  then  close  his  eyes  and 
mentally  see — middle  C — in  its  position  be- 
tween the  staves,  and  then — "twice  lined  C" — 
above  and  below. 


c^-- 


c^ 


Have  him  repeat  this  process  until  he  can 

write   out    from   memory   what   he    has   seen. 

Then  take  up  the  next  point,  i.  e.,  the  position 

of  the  notes  on  the  two  staves, 
Writing  from  ,    .  .,  4.  u      •      ^u 

Memo  ^       impress   it  mentally  in  the 

same  way.  (See  Addenda,  p.  53.) 


S-  -^ 


3:0 


Then  the  next — to   teach  the 

Values  of  Notes    values  of  notes  and  rests.     Have 

and  Rests        the  child  see  the  chart,  first  of 

all,   with   the   physical   eye,   and 

afterward   with   the   mind's   eye.     One   might 

term  it  conscious  mental  photography. 


18 


Notes. 


-A fS N fV 

H 1 1 1— 


Ay-A,-    N     >  _&»._V.-N>.-K.-N.     N     S-  N     N     ^     ^     N- 


ir  N-  N-N-  N    [i^.  rs-IN-N-A-^-A-  N    N  -N-N 


#- 


Rests. 


_-, =1 -?_ -; SI ^ -1 s^ 


:t=H=H=^*«=:§=i=:t=«=«: 


The  next  step  is  the  transposing  of  melo- 
dies.   As  soon  as  you  can  think  a  melody,  you 


19 


should  be  able  to  transpose  it.  The  tones  of 
which    melodies    consist    are,    of 

The  Scale  course,  made  up  of  tones  of  the 
scale.  Since  the  scale  is  the  basis 
of  all  melodic  thought,  it  must  be  studied 
thoroughly  and  with  understanding. 

The  diatonic  scale  exists  in  the  conscious- 
ness. We  come  to  feel  that  the  scale  is  an 
established  and  logical  relationship,  just  as  two 
and  two  are  four  is  an  established  and  logical 
relationship — just  as  the  multiplication  table 
is  an  established  and  logical  relationship.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  explain  why  this  is  so,  it  is 
sufficient  that  it  is  so.  In  order  to  transpose 
melodies,  we  must  be  absolutely  at  home  in 
singing,  writing  and  playing  the  scale  in  all 
keys. 

Children  can  be  taught  the  scale  as  the 
simplest  melody.  The  following  scale-songs 
were  composed  by  children  seven  and  nine 
years  old. 


-  i  -m-     ** 


The  fish  are  swimming  all   a-ronnd  Because  ihej  can't  walk  on  the  ground. 

^g  ^ 1-, _r;,_,_rl«-P-,  m—. — ^ ^-1 •- 


iJUgoeiiii 


I   have  a  bird  who  sings  all  day,  He  neT-er  sings  when  I'm  a-waj. 
The  rain  is  rain-ing  all    a-round.  I'p  •  on  the  trees  and  on  the  ground. 


20 


Therefore  let  the  children  make  scale  songs, 
using  their  own  words,  or  words  given  by  the 
teacher,  and  let  them  sing  these  same  songs  in 
another  key,  i.  e.,  transpose 
"  °^  '  them.  Suppose,  for  instance, 
that  a  child  is  familiar  with  the 
C  scale  only,  can  hear,  sing,  write  and  play  it. 
Let  him  play  D,  for  instance,  as  the  first  note, 
and  find  the  scale.  He  will  play  D,  E,  F 
natural,  but  quickly  hear  that  F  natural  is  not 
the  tone  he  wants.  Then  he  will  find  F  sharp 
and  know  that  it  sounds  as  he  wants  to  hear 
it ;  then  follow  G,  A,  C.  C  sounds  out  of 
harmony  with  the  other  notes,  and  he  quickly 
puts  his  finger  on  C-sharp,  then  D,  and  he  has 
discovered  the  scale  of  D  for  himself. 

Let  him  discover  all  of  the  scales  in  this 
way.  Let  him  write  each  scale  that  he  dis- 
covers and  indicate  the  half-steps.  Thus  he 
will  see  that  the  form  is  a  half-tone  at  3  and  4 
and  the  same  at  7  and  8.  Proceeding  in  this 
way,  it  is  plain  that  it  is  the  sound  that  counts, 
and  that  the  form  is  the  outcome  of  the  sound. 
Dwell  on  this  point. 

This  discovery  of  the  scale  in  different  places 
teaches  many  things :  the  sound  of  it,  the  form 
of  it,  and  that  it  does  not  matter  at  all  whether 
there  are  two  flats  or  six  sharps  in  it — it  is 
always  the  same  scale  of  eight  perfectly  related 
tones,  as  easy  to  deal  with  in  one  key  as 
another.     Most  pupils  ask  why  you  call  a  note 


21 


sharp  and  not  flat,  or  vice  versa.  For  instance, 
take  the  key  of  G :  why,  when  you  have  played 
G,  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  must  it  be  F-sharp?  Why 
not  G-flat?  Simply  because  the  scale  consists 
of  eight  tones,  and  each  tone  must  have  its 
own  name.  We  have  had  E,  and  G  is  the  last 
tone,  so  we  must  have  F  something,  and  since 
it  goes  up,  it  must  be  sharp.  Tell  the  chil- 
dren that  a  sharp  is  a  half  tone  higher  and  a 
flat  a  half  tone  lower. 

The  question  of  tonality  is  very  important. 
The  pupil,  in  order  really  to  think  in  the  key, 
must   feel  the  rest  tone,*  root  tone,  tonic  or 
keynote,  i.  e.,  the  tone  which  rep- 
Root  Tone       resents  home,  the  tone  which  is 
the  goal  of  all  the  other  tones, 
and  which  the  pupil  must  be  conscious  of  in  his 
playing  and  singing,  so  that  he  could  stop  at 
any  time  and  give  the  keynote  or  tonic  at  once. 
This  point  must  be  dwelt  upon  and  made 
very  clear ;  the  pupil  must  perceive  it,  under- 
stand it  and  illustrate  it. 

In  order  to  transpose  in  writing,  the  signa- 
tures must  be  explained.  Teach  one  new 
signature  at  a  time,  using  the  following  charts 
for  mental  imaging,  and  apply  the  knowledge 
at  once  by  having  the  pupil  transpose  into  the 
key  whose  signature  has  been  learned. 

♦Also  see  ADPENDA,  p.  53. 


22 


Key  o£  C  Major  Key  of  G  Major 


m 


m 


Key  of  D  Major  Key  of  A  Major 


^fe 


m 


;  w*7!gr* 


Key  of  E  Major 


Key  of  B  Major 


i 


ft 


mi 


m 


Key  of  F|^  Major  Key  of  Cjjl  Major 


Ith 


ps 


5*.^ 


SK 


23 


Key  of  F  Major  Key  of  B'7  Major 


# 


~Bt£ 


Key  of  E7  Major  Key  of  A2  Major 


ijpl 


1:H- 


m^EE 


Key  of  Djl  Major 

.£2. 


Key  of  Gi7  Major 


i^. 


m^- 


m 


IK^ 


^^E 


!^ 


Key  of  C?  Major 


As  soon  as  the  scale  is  understood,  let  the 
pupil  take  a  short  melody  and  "find  it"  in  the 
key  of  G,  of  F,  of  D — that  is,  sing,  write  and 


24 


play  it.  A  progressive  drill  in  this  trans- 
posing of  melody  should  be  a  part  of  the 
daily  work  from  now  on,  but  always  with  the 
recognition  of  the  keynote  or  root  tone.  Folk- 
music,  especially  the  simplest  French  and  Ger- 
man folk-songs,  is  the  best  material  to  use — 
but  in  the  case  of  very  young  pupils,  the  short- 
est melodic  phrases,  such  as  the  following, 
should  be  used  : 


^ — U__< U 1 


=f=r 


-B-^- 


1*-*-.^- 


and   here   words,    thought    of   either   by   the 
teacher  or  the  pupil,  are  extremely  useful,  such 

as: 

Spring  is  here ! 

Bloom  like  a  rose  ! 
Rejoice  and  sing! 

An  illustration  given  by  a  child : 
"Little  birdie,  little  birdie! 

It  is  time  to  build  your  nest, 
For  the  winter  now  is  over. 
You  must  sing  your  very  best." 
As  soon  as  possible,  use  Folk-music.     Tak- 
ing familiar  tunes,  such  as  "The  Star-Spangled 
Banner,"   and  transposing  them   at  the  key- 
board  is   very  helpful ;    but   I    find   children 
woefully  at  a  loss  when  asked  for  a  song.     It 
appears  that  American  children,  except  those 
who  attend  the  public  schools,  know  practically 
no  songs.     "My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee"  has 


25 


been  given  me  so  often  as  the  only  song 
known,  that  my  piano  can  almost  play  it  of 
itself.  We  ought  to  sing  more  at  home,  as 
the  Germans  do. 

Boys  like  the  Wagner  motifs,  and  the  trans- 
position of  these  motifs  is  helpful,  both  for 
the  thought  involved  and  the  familiarity  ac- 
quired with  the  best  in  music 
and  literature.  These  motifs  are 
really  very  simple,  and  neither 
teacher  nor  pupil  need  be  terrified  by  the  name 
of  Wagner. 

Siegfried's  Motif. 


Use  of 
Wagner  Motifs 


The  Rhine. 


1=^1^ 


:=3=i:zSi 


=M^:ff: 


Walhalla. 


This  kind  of  work  is  necessarily  slow,  and 
in  order  to  do  it  thoroughly  more  time  should 
be  allotted  for  the  study  of  music ;  but, 
even  as  it  is,  a  few  moments  taken  from  each 
lesson,  and  devoted  to  the  thinking  side 
of  music,  will  be  more  than  well  spent. 

During  the  first  year  or  two,  these  seeds  will 
produce  no  flowers  that  can  be  passed  around 
to  fond  relatives  and  friends ;  but  in  the  years 
to  come,  the  garden  will  flourish,  and  there 


26 

will  be  ample  proof  of  the  "worth-whileness" 
of  it.  My  experience  has  been  that  the  parents 
have  become  so  interested  in  the  children's 
work  that  they  have  taken  up  their  own  study 
of  music  once  more,  and  found  what  they  had 
been  unable  to  grasp  previously — an  under- 
standing of  the  fundamental  principles — the 
principles  of  music  which  enabled  them  to  use 
their  knowledge  and  to  enjoy  it  as  they  never 
had  before. 

This  is  one  of  the  questions  that  I  usually 

ask  pupils  of  this  kind :     "Can 

Thinking  Scales    you    think    all    scales    and    sing 

them,  saying  the  name  of  the  note, 

as  the  A  scale  (singing  each  tone)  A,  B,  Cf, 

D,  E,  F#,  G#,A?" 

If  not,  drill  in  this  way  on  every  scale.  Fol- 
low this  with  singing  and  playing  of  short 
original  melodies  in  all  keys,  first  singing  and 
saying  the  scale.  Think  the  melody,  and  sing 
exactly  what  you  have  thought,  then  write 
it  and  play  it  in  all  keys.  When  a  grown  per- 
son is  asked  whether  she  can  do  this,  she 
usually  says  she  can,  but  upon  trying,  she  has 
trouble  first  of  all  in  thinking  a  melody ;  sec- 
ondly, in  singing  what  she  has  thought ;  and 
thirdly,  in  remembering  it  long  enough  to 
write  it  down ;  finally  she  cannot  play  it. 

Concentration  and  clear  thinking  are  at  the 
root  of  this  drill,  and  I  have  seen  women  who 
have  not  studied  at  all  since  they  left  college 
or  school  really  suffer  over  this  work;  but  after 


27 


a  while  they  give  thanks  and  are  fascinated 
by  the  working  of  their  own  minds.  Some 
thorough  interval  work  is  helpful  at  this 
point.  Give  the  keynote  on  the  piano  and  let 
the  pupil  sing  any  note  you  designate,  as  give 
C — ask  the  pupil  to  sing  E  (a  third),  G  (a 
fifth),  etc.  Drill  in  all  keys,  keeping  strictly 
to  the  intervals  of  the  scale,  in  the  following 
way: 

Give  E,  ask  for  a  5th 


Let  the  pupil  write  out  tables  of  intervals. 
Grown  persons  also  are  likely  to  be  uncon- 
scious of  the  root-tone  or  keynote,  and  must 

be  drilled  on  this.  Dictation  is  a 

Writing  Tables     ,•  ^-     ^     1    1 

.  distmct     help     to    transposition, 

i.  e.,  giving  short  phrases  on  the 
piano  and  having  the  pupil  write  them  in  dif- 
ferent keys.  Plan  the  work  in  this  way — ■ 
some  dictation,  some  singing — a  good  deal  of 
work  at  the  keyboard. 


28 


Thus  far  we  have  dealt  only  with  the 
melodic  side  of  the  question.  In  most  cases  it 
seems  best  to  do  this,  but  again  there  is  no 
iron-clad  rule,  and  if  the  harmonic  side  ("the 
bass")  interests  an  older  pupil  more  than  the 
melodic  does,  work  may  be  done  there  first  as 
well  as  last. 

To  sum  up  what  the  pupil  must  have  learned 
in  order  to  transpose  simple  melodies  into  all 
keys ;  he  must  hear  or  think  a  melody ;  be  con- 
scious of  the  tonality  or  "home"  tone,  and  of 
the  scale  relationship.  He  must  be  sure  of 
the  simple  intervals  as  they  occur  in  the  scale 
and  be  able  to  sing  the  melody  he  has  con- 
ceived, and  to  find  it  on  the  keyboard  in  all 
keys.  If  there  is  time,  the  sol  fa  syllables 
should  be  taught  and  used,  but  as  time  is 
usually  so  limited,  it  is  better  to  use  the  ordi- 
nary alphabetical  names. 


Key  of  C. 


TJ    .g><-?  -^  -s<-  -G>-  -S>-  S>-  ■<»- 


Key  of  A. 


n 

|-»-« 

r^° 

-<&- 

■TO~=^ — 

r^S— 

r~s? — 

:z:c233 

:— 23ZZZ 

r-=i — 

c 

J 

Key  of  F. 


-^ — I — '^- 


Key  of  AJj. 


To  be  written  in  all  keys. 


CHAPTER  III. 


RHYTHM. 

"The  Hearing  Ear  and  the  Seeing  Eye,  the 
Lord  has  made  both  of  them." 

HYTHM  has  been  defined  as  the 
feeHng  that  iinderHes  music,  the 
Hfe  or  the  motive  power  of  tone. 
We  cannot  separate  the  sound 
from  rhythm ;  for  as  soon  as  ont 
thinks  of  or  conceives  a  melody,  it  has  rhythm. 
As  soon  as  the  musical  idea  takes  form  in  the 
mind,  motion  becomes  a  part  of  it.  There 
could  be  no  melody  without  this  thought  of 
motion  or  rhythm — it  is  the  very  soul  of  mu- 
sical expression  and  must  be  definitely  con- 
ceived and  understood.  This,  of  course,  is, 
first  of  all,  a  mental  process. 

Again  we  must  listen  and  hear;  and  having 
heard  consciously  the  melody  and  its  rhythm, 
we  must  be  able  to  express  it  definitely.  Take 
for  example  this  melody : 


Where  did  it  come  from  ?  1  kept  still  and  lis- 
tened and  finally  heard  it.  That  "something 
ever  singing"  that  Browning  speaks  of,  sang 
the  song  to  me.  I  recognized  melody  and 
rhythm  and  I  sang  it.  But  how  am  I  to  ex- 
press this   rhythm  of  which   I   am   inwardlv 


30 


conscious?     Here    is    the    melody,    or    rather, 
here  are  its  tones : 


In  this  form,  however,  it  is  a  hfeless,  motion- 
less thing,  yet  I  hear  in  my  mind  not  the  mel- 
ody only,  but  the  rhythm  (motion).  How 
am  I  to  express  this  ?  By  the  help  of  what  we 
call  time. 

When  this  has  become  a  matter  of  definite 
knowledge,  the  next  step  is  the  expressing  of 
rhythm  (motion)  that  has  been  clearly 
thought  out.  In  music  there  are  in  reality 
two  rhythms  only.  One  represents  two  and 
its  multiples,  the  other  three  and  its  multiples. 
This  is  an  important  point ;  dwell  on  it !  I 
use  every  expedient  to  develop  this  truth  from 
the  pupil,  so  that  it  is  not  simply  a  matter  of 
information  given  by  the  teacher  to  the  credu- 
lous pupil,  but  a  matter  of  con- 
Rhythm  the  soul   viction,    perception    and    under- 

of  Music  standing  on  the  part  of  the  in- 
telligent pupil.  _It  is  worth 
while  to  take  time  to  think  out  this  question  of 
rhythm.  It  is  the  very  soul  of  music,  and 
must  be  realized  by  the  would-be  musician. 
No  person  can  realize  rhythm  for  another — it 
must  be  realized  in  the  mind  of  the  student. 

Let  the  child  give  (by  clapping  hands  or 
tapping  the  foot)  examples  of  two-pulse  and 
three-pulse    rhythm.     Play    waltzes    and   two- 


M 


Steps,  and  let  him  tell  you  which  is  which. 
Dwell  on  these  simple  rhythmic  forms  until 
they  can  readily  be  discerned  by  the  pupil. 
Then  take  the  next  step.  Let  the  pupil  hear 
a  melody  and  its  rhythm,  sing  it — clapping 
hands  or  tapping  the  strong  or  accented  tones 
or  pulses.  After  this  has  become  an  easy 
matter — let  him  write  the  melody  he  has 
thought  and  sing  it,  and  let  him  find  and  dis- 
cover the  time  through  the  rhythm.  "Time" 
is  simply  a  mechanical  aid,  used  to  enable  us 
to  express  rhythm.  Tell  him  that  the  first  note 
of  every  measure  is  apt  to  be  the  strong  one,  and 
that  if  he  feels  a  strong  tone,  he  must  arrange 
his  time  so  that  the  strong  tone  will  fall  on  the 
first  beat  in  the  measure,  as 


i^^ 


:t=«EEE-z 


=S^ 


The      King       of      love       my      Shep  -  herd       is. 


Thou,        thou, 


^:z^=S^. 


Thou,         thou,         thou       art        my        life. 

This  is  of  course  elementary  and  not  ideal. 
Musicians  deplore  the  use  of  regular  accentuation 
and  insist  upon  more  freedom  but  most  teachers 
will  agree  with  me  in  saying  that  to  teach  solely 
by  phrases  in  the  very  beginning  makes  rhythm 
less  clear  to  the  pupils.    (See  Addenda.) 

Dancing  is  invaluable  as  a  help  in  arousing 
the  sense  of  rhythm.  Cecil  J.  Sharp,  the  famous 


32 

English  authority  on  Folk  Songs  and  Dances,  has 
published  several  collections,  which  can  be  used. 
Playing  these  dances  and  asking  the  children  to 
indicate  the  rhythm  is  another  good  way. 

We  must  ask  what  makes  the  difference  be- 
tween 3/4  and  4/4  time,  and  Jwpe  that  the  pupil 
will  be  able  to  give  the  correct  answer,  i.e.,  that 
it  all  depends  on  the  musical  idea.  If  we  are 
thinking  our  own  original  melo- 

The  Musical  dies,  it  depends  upon  the  charac- 
Idea  ter   of  our  idea,   and   if  we  are 

expressing  the  idea  of  Schumann 
or  Beethoven,  we  must  study  to  conceive  and 
understand  (and  later  to  visualize)  the  com- 
poser's idea.  In  rhythm,  as  in  melody,  the 
sound  or  idea  is  the  vital  thing,  and  the  time 
is  the  outcome  of  the  sound. 

In  this  study  of  rhythm  words  are  often  of 
great  assistance.  The  strong  accent,  of  course, 
comes  on  the  important  word,  as 

"The  year's  at  the  spring, 
The  day's  at  the  morn." 

R.  B. 
"The  world  is  so  full  of  a  number  of  thifigs 
I'm  sure  we  should  all  be  as  happy  as  kings!" 

R.  L.  S. 
But   this    is   only   a   passing   aid,    since   we 
are  dealing  with  sound,  and  ultimately  must 
feel  the  rhythm  (motion)  without  the  help  of 
words. 

There  are  other  ways  of  helping  children  to 
realize  rhythm,  and  dancing  is  one  of  the  best. 
Needless  to  say  this  is  popular  with  the  chil- 
dren.   (Also  see  Addenda.  ) 


33 

Several  little  pupils  have  told  me  that, 
thanks  to  this  drill  in  rhythm,  they  have  been 
promoted  in  dancing  school.  As  soon  as  they 
get  the  consciousness  of  true  rhythm  in  sound 
they  are  able  to  express  it  in  the  other  arts. 

When  melody,  rhythm  and  harmony  become  a 
conscious  realization  in  the  mind,  musical  edu- 
cation may  honestly  be  said  to  have  made  a 
good  beginning.  Work  done  away  from  the 
piano  at  odd  moments  is  invaluable,  and  older 
pupils  have  been  able  to  think  out  this  question 
of  rhythm  while  they  dressed  or  traveled  to 
and  fro  on  the  cars.  It  is  not  what  is  done  at 
the  lesson  that  counts,  but  what  is  done  in  the 
mind  of  the  pupil  from  day  to  day,  or  more 
correctly  speaking,  from  minute  to  minute. 

It  will  soon  become  evident  that  there  are 
two  kinds  of  tones  in  a  musical  idea :  those 
that,  through  duration  or  accent,  are  more  im- 
pressive, and  those  whose  mission  it  is  to  ad- 
just themselves  to  these  more  authoritative 
tones.  The  latter  are  commonly  called  "pass- 
ing tones,"  and  it  is  well  to  analyze  in  this 
way,  finding  the  rest  or  accented  tones,  and 
then  finding  the  passing  tones,  and  express- 
ing the  music  accordingly. 

With  children  the  idea  of  the  family  may  be 
used  again.  The  strong  tone  or  home  tone 
may  be  said  to  represent  the  mother  in  the 
scale ;  so  in  a  melody,  we  may  find  the  father, 
mother,  aunt,  etc.,  and  all  the  children  adjust- 


34 

ing  themselves  obediently  to  the  wishes  of  the 
elders. 

DICTATION    IN    CONNECTION    WITH    RHYTHM 

When  the  rhythm  of  your  short  original 
melodies  can  be  felt,  clapped,  sung  and  played, 
you  have  made  a  good  beginning.  Dictation 
is  a  distinct  help.  With  very  small  children, 
clapping,  singing  and  playing  make  a  good 
sequence,  but  children  nine  years  old,  or 
older,  take  dictation  quite  readily  and  enjoy 
it.    Such  a  melody,  for  instance,  as 


Sleep,  Baby,  Sleep  (Folk  Song). 


g=g=t:g=^ 


V=Xr=±r- 


:P2= 


3^ 


'-4-I 1 — ^- 


:tst 


:<R5=^t=t: 


g=g==^-_u— r 


:ff=|-: 


Dictate  the  melody  to  the  pupil,  letting  him 
discover  the  rhythm  for  himself,  tap  or  clap 
it,  and  write  it  as  he  feels  it.  This  work  is 
invaluable,  and  two  or  three  students  can  help 
each  other  in  this  way — outside  of  the  class. 
Let  one  student  play  the  melody  (on  the 
piano),  the  others  writing  what  they  hear  and 
feel,  giving  the  rhythm ;  then  let  them  express 


35 

it  in  notes,  putting  in  the  time  value,  as 

Theme  from  Allegretto  from  the  VII  Symphony 
of  Beethoven. 


Drill  on  rhythm  should  be  kept  up  for  a  long 
time,  and  every  help  should  be  resorted  to 
to  make  it  clear. 

Good  melodies  for  dictation  may  be  found 
in  the  Germer  Edition  of  Folk  Music,  and  in 
French  Folk  Songs.     Folk  songs  are  invalu- 
able in  teaching  children  to  play. 
Good  Melodies    and    no    child    should    ever    be 
for  Dictation     taught  trashy  music.     "The  best 
is  good  enough   for  me"  might 
serve  as  a  motto  to  teachers  of  children.    Why 
should    we    wait    until    the    musical    taste    is 
formed  to  bring  out  the  love  of  the  best  and 
most  bea-utiful  in  music?     (See  Note,  p.  2)7 ■) 
Older  pupils  may  take  up  more  difficult  mel- 
odies  as   soon   as   they   are   able.     Beethoven 
and  Haydn  Symphonies  may  be  studied  with 
great  profit,  taking  up  the   different  themes, 
and  becoming  mentally  familiar  with  them. 

PIANO   WORK, 

Of  course  the  principle  discovered  all  the 
way  through  must  be  applied  to  the  student's 
regular  piano  work.     The  music  he  is  play- 


36 


ing  must  be  the  subject  for  thought,  and  a 
definite  idea  of  the  rhythm  must  be  felt  and 
expressed.  Bach  and  Schumann  have  given 
plenty  of  material,  after  we  have  exhausted 
the  available  Folk-music.     (See  Addenda.) 

Children  should  realize  early  the  compara- 
tive meaninglessness  of  bars,  and  look  for  the 
musical  idea,  taking  up  simple  music  and 
analyzing  the  rhythm  from  this  standpoint. 

Schumann,  Op.  68,  No.  lo. 


Folk  Song. 


=t=t 


-1 — r 


Ei3 


:^=5t 


Mzzrtit 


■■rs=Mz^. 


■x=^ 


i 


POWER    OF    CONTROLLED    OR    CONSTRUCTIVE 
THOUGHT. 

We  must  learn  to  control  our  thinking,  and 
utilize  every  waking  moment  in  one  of  two 
things,    constructive    thought   or    constructive 


37 


action.  Turning  the  thing  over  in  the  mind 
is  always  of  the  greatest  use,  and  in  this 
work  it  is  invahiable.  Make  a  distinct  mental 
effort  in  this  direction  every  day,  and  watch 
the  results. 

Take  one  definite  point,  work  it  out  pa- 
tiently and  thoroughly.  Take  rhythm  until 
you  understand  that,  and  then  take  something 
else.  This  is  the  true  "self-education,"  and 
the  establishing  of  this  balance  between  in- 
struction and  thought,  constitutes  (in  my 
opinion)  the  only  true  education.  Not  the 
number  of  books  you  have  read,  but  the 
thought  you  have  given  them,  is  what  culti- 
vates. Not  the  amount  of  instruction  or  the 
number  of  lessons  you  have  taken  will  make 
of  you  an  intelligent  musician,  but  the 
thought,  plus  the  work  that  you  have  given 
the  problems  your  teacher  has  put  before  you, 
and  the  principle  you  have  been  enabled  to 
discover. 


Note.  The  teacher's  special  attention  is  called 
to  the  list  of  carefully  selected  pieces  which  may  be 
used  as  teaching  material,  at  the  end  of  this  book. 


l2B72rt 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Chords. 
^  NWARD  hearing  is  again  the  root 
of  this  problem.  The  unity  of 
melody,  harmony  and  rhythm 
evidently  exists  in  the  mind,  be- 
cause as  soon  as  a  melody  is  heard 
and  sung,  almost  invariably  its  harmony  is 
heard  also.  The  question  is  how  to  enable 
the  pupil  to  perceive  and  understand  this 
clearly.  With  children,  teaching  the  simple 
tonic  triad  with  each  scale  helps  to  establish 
art  understanding.  Let  them  listen  while  the 
teacher  plays  this  simple  triad,  and  then  sing 
the  strongest  tone  or  root  of  such  a  chord  as 
C,  E,  G.  Play  C,  E,  G  separately,  then  to- 
gether, and  ask  the  child  to  sing  you  the  home 
tone  or  root  of  it,  which,  of  course,  is  C. 
After  this  is  well  established,  let  him  find 
the  other  positions  of  the  chord  and  play  them, 
always  singing  the  one  root  tone  in  this  way : 

Root  Tones  of  Chords. 


m^. 


Sing  C  with  each  chord. 

This  drill  must  be  kept  up  for  a  long  time, 
until  all  tonic  chords  in  their  three  positions 


39 


are  absolutely  familiar.  Then  take  a  very 
simple  melody,  either  the  scale  or  such  a  mel- 
ody as 


Folk  Song. 


and  ask  the  child  to  listen  to  what  he  hears 
with  the  do  or  G.  Without  doubt  he  will 
give  you  the  G  chord,  thus : 


~^-- 


a=5E^ 


and  in  the  same  way  he  will  find  the  harmonies 
to  the  other  melody  notes,  so  that  finally  you 
will  have 


\~T- 


iJ.3=: 


-A-^ 


^==3=: 


-■fzrr- 


:^=::=»i 


«i^i 


:^==ffi 


leri: 


40 


It  IS  a  fact  then,  that  as  soon  as  a  tone  is 
thought  of  or  mentally  heard  its  fundamental 
harmony  is  present  in  the  mind  and  can  be 
heard  clearly  also,  if  the  pupil  can  learn  to 
listen.  I  have  tried  this  process  on  more  than 
forty  different  persons,  including  a  number  of 
children.  They  did  not  all  find  it  equally  easy 
to  listen,  but  after  that  became  possible  they 
all  heard  the  same  harmony,  i.e.,  the  simple 
fundamental  harmony  I,  IV,  V,  I. 

The  simplest  way  of  doing  this  is  to  play 
one  tone  of  the  scale  and  listen  for  its  har- 
mony.    For  instance,  play  C,  listen  and  you 

will    hear    G   and    E.      Play   D, 
Ajone  and  Its  y^^^^^^^  ^^^  y^^  ^yjn  ^^^^   g   ^^^^j 

G,  etc.    This  chart  illustrates  the 
process  imperfectly,  because  the 

listening  may  take  longer  than  the  note  value 

given. 

First  hearing  of  the  harmonization  of  the 

scale : 


Fuadatnental 
Harmony 


41 


From  this  a  clearer  concept  may  be  had  by 
playing  the  fundamental  (or  root  tone)  with 
the  chord,  thus : 


This  is,  however,  very  crude.  The  best  way 
is  the  third,  but  since  so  many  people  find  it 
simpler  to  use  the  second  way,  it  is  apparently 
a  necessary  step,  and  later  the  scale  may  be 
harmonized  much  more  elaborately. 

Those  who  have  not  tried  and  proved  this 
will  not  believe  it,  but  I  know  from  experience 
that  it  is  true.  Children  very  rarely  have  any 
trouble  in  hearing  harmonies. 
Harmonization  Older  persons,  who  have  given 
of  Melodies  up  in  despair  and  are  afraid  to 
trust  their  "hearing  ear,"  some- 
times have  to  work  longer  with  melody,  but 
it  always  comes  in  the  end,  and  since  this  is 
the  basis  of  the  harmonization  of  melodies  it 
is  worth  striving  for. 

It  is  well  to  dictate  simple  melodies  to  chil- 
dren and  to  have  them  hear,  sing  and  write 


42 


the  root  tone  to  each  melodic  note.  Here  is  a 
bass  given  me  by  a  child  eight  years  old  after 
one  winter's  work : 


;§=ff^ff=ff:  ~^^^=^  :gz_^^g=g:  z^^^± 


--!— .V- 


In  this  case  two  children  did  the  harmony 
together,  one  singing  the  melody  and  one  the 
bass,  and  vice  versa.  Pupils  should  be  drilled 
steadily  in  this  until  it  becomes  easy,  and  they 
can  do  it  readily  and  quickly. 

The  next  step  is  keyboard  work.     Give  the 

child  a  short  melody  or  melodic  phrase  at  the 

keyboard,  and  let  him  find  the  bass.     Drill  on 

very    elementary    tunes    until    it 

Harmonizing  at     becomes  easy,  and  then  let  him 

Keyboard  take  something  he  knows  and 
likes  and  "find  the  bass."  Folk 
music  again  and  hymns,  national  airs  and  col- 
lege songs  are  comparatively  simple  to  har- 
monize. In  three  years  pupils  are  usually  able 
to  take  any  tune  they  like  and  harmonize  it  in 
any  key.  But,  of  course,  the  time  varies  with 
the  individual,  and  there  is  no  rule.  It  is  a 
matter  of  perception  and  drill. 

Young  children  may  be  allowed  to  harmon- 
ize melodies  simply  by  playing  what  they  hear, 
but  at  eight  or  nine  years  the  three  funda- 
mental harmonies  underlying  all  music  may 
be  explained.     First  let  the  child  play  what 


43 

he  has  heard  and  thought  to  be  the  bass  he 
wants,  then  have  him  sing  the  root  of  each 
chord.     For  instance,  take  this  melody, 
French  Folk  Song. 


Let  him  discover  for  himself  that  the  first 
three  notes  of  the  melody  call  for  the  G  chord 
as  their  bass,  and  that  the  root  of  the  chord  is 
therefore  G.  That  the  fourth  note  of  the  mel- 
ody calls  for  the  D  chord  as  its  bass,  and  that 
the  root  of  the  chord  is  therefore  D  (the  domi- 
nant). That  the  fifth  note  calls  again  for  the 
G  chord,  the  root  of  which  is  G.  The  sixth 
for  the  D  chord,  etc.  Let  him  put  the  name  of 
the  root  of  each  chord  under  that  chord.  The 
first  three  being  the  same,  will  have  g  under 
them.  The  fourth  being  the  D  chord,  finds  its 
root  on  the  fifth  note  of  the  scale,  which  is,  of 
course,  D.  Ask  for  the  notes  of  the  chord. 
Thus  the  D  chord  is  D,  F-sharp,  A.  Accen- 
tuate the  fact  that  this  is  the  chord  called  the 
dominant,  which  chord  is  built  on  the  fifth 
note  of  the  scale. 

Let  him  write  out  charts  like  the  following, 

and  be  sure  that  he  understands  clearly  that 

the  three  tonic  chords  are  built  with  the  notes 

of  the  triad,  and  that  the  three 

Three  Tonic  dominant  chords  are  built  from 
Chords  the  dominant  triad,  i.e.,  the  triad 
built  with  the  dominant  for  its 
root-tone.     This  is  most  important. 


44 


G  the  dominant  of  C. 

„       I          II         III        IV         V 

1 

— g — 

r— -S: 

— ^ 

m 

V 

V 

— eg 

V 

— ^ 

D  the  dominant  of  G. 

I  II         III        IV 


f- 


S 


=S^ 


F  the  dominant  of  BlJ; 

I           II         III         IV          V 

^j^ 1 

1 — ^ — 1 

— 5^ — 

r^' 

J        -=.-        -f-          3            4            5 

— S: — 

n-, 

^^ ^ 

U — 

The  fifth  tone  of  the  scale  is  called  the 
Dominant  and  is  next  in  importance  to  the 
home  tone  or  keynote.  Illustrate  this  by  let- 
ting the  pupil  write  basses  to  melodies  that 
bring  out  this  point,  the  teacher  giving  the 
melody,  of  course.    For  instance : 

To  bring  out  I  -  V  - 1. 


Plenty  of  material  may  also  be  selected  from 
German  and  French  Folk  Music. 

Drill  on  this  for  some  time,  and  also  have 
the  child  play  I,  V,  I  in  every  key,  first  think- 
ing the  chord,  thus: 


45 


Play  I 
D 


I  in  every  key. 
A 


BiX 


5^g=1 


^B'E 


i^-^ 


As  soon  as  this  has  become  absolutely  clear, 

let  him  harmonize  the  three  different  positions 

of  the  two  chords  and  write  them 

Importance      q,^^   as    follows,    drilling   in   this 

way  until  the  chords  in  all  keys 

h.Tvc  been  written  and  played. 

Key  of  D. 

1st  position.         and  position.       3rd  position. 

g»       I       r       — <g — \—f^  I  <g — I— 'g — I — ^ — i— ^ 


^—  rS^  -«.-  = 


Be  sure  that  this  is  made  perfectly  clear.  It 
is  better  to  spend  a  long  time  and  to  drill  too 
much  than  to  neglect  this  point.  I  have  found 
some  verv  fair  pianists  painfully  weak  on  this 
point,  and  these  are  the  ones  who  cannot  play 
a  bass  to  "America." 

After  I,  V,  1  becomes  well  established,  ex- 
plain  IV,  or  the  sub-dominant,   in  the  same 
way,  and  drill  for  that  as  before,  having  the 
chords  played  in  all  keys,  I,  IV, 
The  I,  and  written  out  in  this  way. 

Sub-Dominant     Be  sure  that  the  pupil  can  distin- 
guish the  dominant  from  the  sub- 
dominant  and  think  both  correctly.     Start  the 


46 


drill  as  before,  with  the  simple  I,  IV,  I,  to  be 
written  and  played  in  all  keys,  thus : 


f 


mi 


IV 


and   follow   it  with  the  harmonization  of  the 
three  positions  of  the  I,  thus : 

Key  of  C. 

ist  position.        2nd  position.        3rd  position. 


—C2~ 
■(S>- 

IV 


IV 


IV 


After  this  teach  the  child  1,  IV,  V,  I,  and 
let  him  find  this  harmonic  relationship  in  every 
key,  and  write  it  out.     Then  show  the  three 
positions  as  follows : 
Key  of  D. 


IV 


This  is  very  crude,  of  course,  and  unmusi- 
cal, but  it  is  necessary  in  order  to  make  the 
point  clear. 

From  this  point  the  pupil  will  be  able  to 
think  and  play  simple  basses  to  songs  and 
tunes,  and  this  being  thoroughly  worked  out 
the  older  pupil  can  then,  if  he  is  inclined,  en- 


47 


rich  the  harmonies  to  suit  himself.  It  is  best 
to  keep  the  children  to  the  fundamental  har- 
monies. 

Next  take  up  the  chord  of  the  dominant  sev- 
enth or  v.  Explain  it  as  the  dominant  chord 
with  the  seventh  note  added.  If  the  pupil  can 
instantly  hear  it  (and  many 
Chord  of  the  can),  that  is  the  best  way  to  be- 
come acquainted  with  it.  If  not, 
play  it  and  get  the  child  to  give 
its  resolution  or  "home-coming."  This  is  read- 
ily done.  Then  have  him  play  chords  of  the 
dominant  seventh  in  all  keys  and  resolve  them, 
writing  them  out  thus : 

To  find  Chord  o£  the  Dominant  Seventh. 
Key  of  C. 


Dominant 
Seventh 


t 

=  g=- 

=g= 

l_g_ 

I 
^ 

<=.               D 

V 

V 

— s- 

I 

And  if  the  previous  work  has  been  clearly 
understood  this  is  not  difficult.  Let  the  pupil 
say  what  chord  or  harmony  he  is  playing  and 
write  the  figure  under  the  bass  as  follows : 

The  Dominant  Seventh  and  its  resolution. 

Key  of  G.         Key  of  D.         Key  of  F.     Key  of  C. 


0  n 

li — P— 1 

,^ 

S^i~ 

g 

£?FiE 

— & 

5    g 

-s— 

=  g= 

— ,^ — 

m^r-^^ 

'^r- — 

=1 

._ 

VT 

I 

VT 

I 

1^— g^— 

V7 

I 

-f. 

I 

48 


For  children  this  is  sufficient,  but  older  stu- 
dents must  be  shown  the  other  forms  of  the 
dominant  seventh  chords.  Explain  that  just 
as  the  common  chord  of  three  tones  may  be 
presented  in  three  different  ways,  thus 


f, 


so  the  four-toned  chord,  called  the  dominant 
seventh,  has  four  forms,  i.e.,  one  for  each 
tone ;  and  these  different  forms  may  be  used 
according  to  the  desire  of  the  student,  the  root 
being,  of  course,  always  the  same. 


siSe^=p 


All  dominant  seventh  chords,  the  root  being  C. 
Have  the   older   children   and   older   pupils 
analyze    Folk   Music,   giving  the   simple   har- 
monies as  they  play  them  in  this  way : 

Folk  Song. 


Folk  music  is  the  best,  because  in  this  there 
are  no  complex  harmonies.    This  is,  of  course, 
very  elementary  work  for  older  pupils,  but  for 
those  who  have  not  become  con- 
Value  of        scious    of    simple    chord    rela- 
Folk  Music      tionships      these      drills      prove 
helpful,    and,    needless    to    say, 


49 


make  piano  playing  far  more  intelligent  and 
thoughtful.  It  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to  have 
a  pupil  whom  you  have  asked  to  tell  you  what 
some  simple  harmony  she  is  playing  is,  answer 
quite  naively,  "1  haven't  the  least  idea."  One 
older  pupil  came  to  me  for  help  on  a  Beet- 
hoven Sonata.  She  played  it  well,  technically, 
but  with  so  little  understanding  that  I  was 
led  to  ask  her  whether  she  could  play  a  simple 
melody  and  harmonize  it.  She  clasped  her 
hands  rapturously  and  said: 

"Oh,  wouldn't  it  be  wonderful  to  be  able  to 
do  that !"  She  could  not  "pick  out  the  treble" 
even  of  a  child's  song  and  give  a  respectable 
bass  for  it,  and  she  is  one  of  a  thousand ! 

Major  and  Minor  Modes. 
In  connection  with  the  harmonizing  of  sim- 
ple melodies,  we  must  take  up  the  subject  of 
the  major  and  minor  modes.     The  root  tone 

or  tonic  being  the  same,  pupils 

Relative  Minor     should  be  taught  to  play  minor 

and  Natural       ^j-j^^g   ^^   lowering    the   middle 

tone  or  third.  They  may  be 
asked  to  tell  the  difference  between  a  major 
and  minor  chord,  and  after  they  are  able  to 
think,  sing,  write  and  play  both  major  and 
minor  chords,  knowing  the  difference  and 
being  able  to  tell  which  is  major  and  which 
minor  when  you  play  it  for  them,  let  them 
practice  writing  and  playing  major  and  minor 
melodies  and  harmonizing  them.  After  this 
teach  them  the  minor  scale. 


59 


This  question  of  teaching  the  minor  scale 
as  a  relative  minor,  relative  to  the  scale  three 
notes  above  it,  is  discussed  a  good  deal  by 
teachers.  Musically,  the  so-called  relative 
minor  has  "nothing  to  do  with  the  case,"  but 
because  it  has  borrowed  its  signature  from  its 
relative  major  it  seems  necessary  to  teach 
it.  I  usually  let  the  pupil  discover  and 
find  the  natural  minor  scale,  as,  for  instance, 
C  major  has  C  minor  for  its  natural  minor. 
Then  I  show  them  how  in  music  the  minor 
borrows  its  signature,  and  let  them  find  music 
written  in  the  minor  mode  and  observe  its 
signature,  looking  through  some  folk  music 
or  the  Schumann  Kinderscenen  to  find  their 
minor  signatures.  Then  I  have  them  write 
out  a  table  of  the  major  and  minor  signatures, 
thus : 

C  major  and  A  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

G  major  and  E  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

D  major  and  B  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

A  major  and  F  sharp  minor  have  the  same  signa- 
ture. 

E  major  and  C  sharp  minor  have  the  same  signa- 
ture. 

B  major  and  G  sharp  minor  have  the  same  signa- 
ture. 

F  sharp  major  and  D  sharp  minor  have  the  same 
signature. 

F  major  and  D  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

B  flat  major  and  G  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

E  flat  major  and  C  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

A  flat  major  and  F  minor  have  the  same  signature. 

D  flat  major  and  B  flat  minor  have  the  same  sig- 
nature. 

G  flat  major  and  E  flat  minor  have  the  same  signa- 
ture. 


51 


The  way  to  play  the  so-called  relative  minor 
is  to  play  the  scale  exactly  as  you  would  the 
major  and  raise  the  seventh  tone  a  half-step. 
For  instance,  A  is  the  relative  minor  to  C. 
1234567 
Play  a  b  c  d  e  f  g; 
g  being  the  seventh  tone  is  raised  a  half  step 
and  is  therefore  sharp.  G-sharp  is,  of  course, 
followed  by  a  — ,  and  the  scale  is 


This  holds  good  for  all  the  relative  minor 
scales,  of  course. 

Most  children  are  quick  at  hearing  major 
and  minor  intervals  and  chords,  but  in  case 
they  seem  unable  to  distinguish  between  them 
Keep  up  the  drill  until  they  can  tell  one  from 
the  other  easily,  especially  the  drill  of  playing 
a  major  or  a  minor  chord  and  letting  the 
pupil  say  what  it  is  until  he  can  finally  hear  in- 
wardly and  sing  major  and  minor  and  is  per- 
fectly conscious  of  each  mode. 

The  child  learns  thus  how  to  think  clearly; 
in  other  words,  he  learns  how  to  study,  as  one 
child  explained  to  me,  "with  his  mind  instead 
of  with  his  eyes." 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  little  book  is 
not  in  any  sense  complete.  It  is  simply  sug- 
gestive of   what   may   be   done  to  make   the 


52 


thinking  of  music  better  under- 
Studying  with  stood.  I  have  purposely  re- 
the  Mind         frained  from  discussing  the  alto 

and  tenor  voices,  and  the  sec- 
ondary chords,  because  the  mental  hearing  of 
melody  and  the  harmonizing  of  melodies  in  a 
simple  way  was  the  goal  to  be  attained.  If, 
after  reaching  this  goal,  the  music  lover  is 
imbued  with  a  desire  to  continue  his  study  in 
this  manner,  he  will  be  more  than  repaid  and 
will,  I  trust,  teach  others  to  listen,  sing  and 
play  so  that  in  time  there  shall  not  be  one  soul 
that  has  not  discovered  the  source  of  harmony 
and  well-being  which  resides  within  himself. 


ADDENDA 

To  page  17 

Drills  for  visualizing : 
I.  Five  notes  up. 


f 


c      d      e      f      g 


2.  Five  notes  down. 

c      b     a      g      f 

,^  -^- ffi_    - 

1=E 


=2Z=^= 


i 


5.  Scale  up. 


6.  Scale  down. 
c        b        a 


^ii 


g   f 


7. 











^ 

^ 

e> 

ii== 

~^^ 

g 

S> 

°^— 



/« 

SI 



I  5^- 

— <= 

C  chord.     Three  positions  of  the  C  chord. 


i 


To  page  21 

Another  good  drill  for  hearing  the  rest  tone 
or  key-tone  is  for  the  teacher  to  play  a  phrase 


54 


and,   stopping   just   before   the    end,   ask   the 
pupil  to  sing  the  last  note  ;  for  example : 


^wj=^^^3^l^i:^mS^^^^ 


Pupil  to  sing  d  s-»- 
To  page  31 

Since  writing  this  I  have  decided  that  it  is 
pernicious  to  lay  down  this  law.  The  best 
way  to  begin  with  the  children  is  to  have  them 
indicate  rhythms  by  lines,  as 

Baby  bye,  Here's  a  fly, 

teaching  the  notation  from  the  lines  given  by 
the  child  and  thus  showing  the  long  and  short 
notes. 

To  page  32 

It  is  a  good  thing  to  ask  the  children  to  give 
you  some  example  of  rhythm  in  nature,  or  of 
anything  rhythmic  that  they  can  think  of.  For 
rhythm  the  children  have  brought  me  the  fol- 
lowing answers : 

Day  and  night. 

The  seasons. 

The  moon  and  the  sun. 

The  waves. 

The  clock. 

Breathing. 

To  page  36 

Besides  this,  it  is  well  to  have  a  definite  plan 
for  teaching  each  piece;  finding  and  singing 
each  phrase,  marking  the  fingering  and  pedal- 
ing, and  making  a  simple  harmonic  sketch  giv- 
ing the  I,  IV,  V,  V^  chords  and  changes  of 
key. 


55 


TEACHING  MATERIAL 

Graded  as  to  difficulty,  Grade  I  being  for  beginners. 

GRADE  I 

Schwalm,  Easy  Duets 

Newton  Swift,  12  Easy  Pieces 

Maxim,  Noah's  Ark 

Czerny,  Studies  (Germer) 

Forsman,  Duets 

Loomis,  After  the  Lesson 

Diabelli,  Easy  Duets 

Gaynor,  Miniatures 

Cady,  Folk-Melodies  for  Ten  Fingers 

Martin,  Tone-Pictures 

Gurlitt,  Folk-Songs 

GRADE  II 

Germer,  Opus  34 

Reinecke,  Unsere  Lieblinge 

Gurlitt,  Opus  117 

Cady-Bach,  Folk-Dances 

Schumann,  Opus  68 

Czerny,  Studies  (Germer) 

Tschaikowsky,  Children's  Album 

Grieg,  Opus  12 

Reinhold,  Miniatures 

Heller,  Op.  45,  Op.  46,  Op.  47 

Hofer,  Music  in  Child  World,  Vols.  I-II 

Kullak,  Scenes  from  Childhood 

Gaynor,  Easy  Pedal  Studies 

Burchenal-Crampton,  Folk-Dances 

GRADE   III 

Schumann,  Opus  68 

Heller,  Op.  45,  Op.  46,  Op.  47 


56 

Hofer,  Music  in  Child  World,  Vols.  I-II 

Kullak,  Scenes  from  Childhood 

Mozart,  Minuet  from  Don  Giovanni 

Bach,  Short  Preludes  and  Fugues  (Mason  Ed.) 

Handel,  12  Easy  Compositions 

Haydn,  Easy  Compositions 

Beethoven,  Easier  Compositions 

— —  Minuet  in  Eb 

Minuet  in  G  major 

Gluck,  Album 
Rebikow,  Silhouettes 

Ph.  Em.  Bach,  Solfegietto 
Schytte,  Clown  on  Tight  Rope 

Hide  and  Seek 

Handel,  Largo  without  Octaves 
Thorne,  Forgotten  Fairy  Tales 

Sonatina  Album 

Mendelssohn,  Songs  without  Words 

GRADE  IV 
Beethoven,  Easier  Compositions 

Minuet  in  E 

Minuet  in  G  major 

Debussy,  Little  Shepherd 

Sonatina  Album 

Bach,  Inventions 

Sara  Heintz  Album 

•  Grieg,  Sailor's  Song 

Birdling 

MacDowell,  Woodland  Sketches 
Mendelssohn,   Songs  without  Words 
(Also  Grade  V) 

MORE  DIFFICULT 
Bach,  Suites 

Well-Tempered  Clavichord 

Italian  Concerto 

Gavotte  in   B   minor    (Saint-Saens  Arr.) 

Fantasie  in  C  minor 


57 


Beethoven    (Selected   movements   good   to   teach 
before  an  entire  sonata  is  taken  up) 

Opus    2,  No.  2,  Largo  and  Scherzo 

Opus     2,  No.  3,  Scherzo 

Opus     7,  Largo 

Opus  10,  No.  I,  Adagio 

Opus  10,  No.  2,  Allegretto 

Opus  10,  No.  3,  Largo  and  Minuetto 

Opus   13,  Adagio 

Opus  14,  No.  2,  Andante 

Opus  26,  Theme 

Opus  27,  No.  2,  Adagio 

Opus  28,  Andante 

Opus  31,  No.  3,  Allegretto  and  Minuetto 

Opus  49,  No.  I 

Opus  49,  No.  2 

Opus  57,  Theme  of  Largo 

Opus  90,  2nd  Movement 
Brahms,  Intermezzi,  Op.  117  and  Op.  118 

B  minor  Capriccio 

2  Rhapsodies 

Hungarian  Dances 

Chopin,  Preludes 

Waltzes 

Etudes 

Ballades 

Impromptus 

Mazurkas 

Nocturnes  and  Fantaisies 

Polonaises  and  Scherzo 

Czerny,  Opus  240,  Opus  740 

Daquin,  Le  Coucou 

Gluck-Brahms,  Gavotte 

Gluck-Saint-Saens,  Air  from  Alceste  (Josefify  Arr.) 

Mendelssohn,  2  Preludes  in  E  minor 

Nocturne  from  "Midsummer  Night's  Dream" 

Rondo  capriccioso 

Scherzo 


58 


Mozart,  Sonatas  in  C  major,  G  major 

Fantasies 

Pastorale  varie  in  Bb 

^-^    Minuet  from  Eb  Symphony 
Schubert,  Marche  Militaire 

Impromptus 

Minuet  in  B  minor 

Moments  Musicaux 

Sonatas 

Schumann,  Opus  15 

Novelletten 

Fantasiestiicke 

Albumblatter 

Romance  in  Ftf  major 

Nachtstiicke 

Papillons 

Carnaval 

Scarlatti,  Album,  22  pieces 
Sgambati,  Gavotte  in  Ab  minor 

(Supplementary  List) 

Rubinstein,  Kamennoi  Ostrow 

Barcarolle 

Romance  in  Eb 

Rachmaninoff,  Preludes 

Polichinelle 

Tschaikowsky,  Song  without  Words  in  F  major 

Chanson  triste 

Barcarolle 

Romance  in  F  minor 

Debussy,  Children's  Corner 

2  Arabesques 

Reverie 

Suite  Bergamasque 

Preludes 

Grieg,  Sonata 

Lyrics  (5  books) 

Slav  Album,  Vols.  I  and  II 

Album  of  Russian  Music,  Vols.  I  and  II 


59 


Scandinavian  Album 
MacDowell,  Sea  Pieces 
— ^   Tarantella 

Scotch  Poem 

^—    Improvisations 

Hexentanz 

Shadow  Dance 

D'Albert,  Gavotte  and  Musette 
Sibelius,  Romance  in  D(j 
Scriabine,  Nocturne  for  left  hand 
Paderewski,  Cracovienne 

■   Melodic  in  Gb 

Chant  du  Voyageur 

Rameau,  Album  (Litolf  Ed.) 
Paradies,  Toccata 
Couperin,  Album 
Moszkowski,  Album 
Saint-Saens,  Romance  in  B  minor 
Strauss,  Traumerei  in  B  major 
Stojowski,  Waltz  in  Eb 

Chant  d'Amour 


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twOrl 


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NOV  24 


1972 


HKitt 


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